30 Day Dinner Menu Plan

The following 30 Day Dinner Menu Plan is from our Free Ebooklet, How to Feed a Family of 4 for less than $200 a month

We always use one of the following items for a side dish:

• Salad
• Rice (sometimes with seasonings, sometimes without)
• Refried beans
• Pasta
• Baked or Mashed Potatoes

*FL = Freeze Leftovers for Lunches or another evening Meal

Dinner/ Supper Menu:
Day #1 : Chicken Fajita Tortillas / refried beans/ salad
Day Sweet-n-Sour Kielbasa/ mashed potatoes/ salad (*FL)
Day #3 : Baked Stuffed Haddock with Newburg sauce /baked potato /salad (*FL)
Day # 4: Hearty Taco Pasta Dish (Rotini noodles with tomatoes/hamburger/ taco seasoning & black olives) (*FL)
Day # 5 Lasagna (make an extra one & freeze for end of the month) (*FL)
Day # 6 Tuna Casserole
Day # 7 Broiled or Grilled steak/ Salad
Day #08 Chicken Parmesan with seasoned rice / Broccoli (*FL)
Day # 09 Spaghetti & Meatballs with Garlic bread & salad
Day # 10 Beef-n-Bean Burrito’s topped with salsa & cheese seasoned Rice on side
Day # 11 Pot Roast with Potatoes/ Carrots/ Onions & biscuits, Gravy (*FL) (Always have enough leftovers for a complete family meal)
Day # 12 Restaurant Night: (Copycat recipe from KFC, Olive Garden, etc)
Day # 13 Corned Beef/ Cabbage/ Carrots / Potatoes
Day # 14 Chicken Marsala with baked potato & fresh spinach
Day # 15 Sweet-n-Sour Kielbasa (left overs from Day 2)/ mashed potatoes/ salad
Day # 16 Corned beef hash/ biscuits
Day # 17 Lasagna & salad, garlic bread
Day # 18 Chicken Vegetable soup & cornbread
Day # 19 Meatball subs or sweet-n-sour meatballs over egg noodles
Day # 20 Leftover beef pot roast simmered in gravy & served over Hot Biscuits w/ salad & or peas
Day # 21 Breakfast for dinner: blueberry pancakes, bacon & hash browns
Day # 22 Oriental Stir Fry with rice (*FL)
Day # 23 Chicken Wraps with lettuce/tomato/ parmesan dressing& potato salad
Day # 24 Homemade Deep Dish Pizza
Day # 25 Bacon/Potato Casserole with sour cream
Day # 26 Sloppy Joes / salad
Day # 27 Grilled Swordfish with marinated veggies
Day # 28 American Chop Suey (*FL)
Day # 29 Chicken Pot Pie & cranberry sauce (I usually make 2 and freeze one)
Day # 30 Choose your own menu night : from evenings of 1 serving leftovers that have been vacuum sealed.

Sometimes I print up lovely menu’s for each person to choose as though they are at a restaurant.

I also create alternate meal ideas (2-3) in case something comes up and I am unable/ (or do not want to) make dinner. For instance, if one of the boys gets sick, or if dh is going to be very late from work.

To view additional weekly dinner plans, check out our Weekly Menu Plans Forum.

30 Day Dinner Menu Plan

Article or recipe authorAuthor: Melissa 'Liss' Burnell

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preparation timePrep 30 minutes mins

total timeTotal 30 minutes mins

A practical month-long dinner plan for a family of 4 with simple main dishes, flexible side ideas, and built-in leftover nights. Estimated total side-dish base cost is $11.45, or about $0.10 per serving across an estimated 120 servings, not including the main-dish recipes.

ServingsServings 120 servings

CourseCourse Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup

CuisineCuisine American

Budget101 Price BreakdownApprox Cost: $11.45

Ingredients

1/21x2x

• ▢ Salad
• ▢ Rice
• ▢ Refried beans
• ▢ Pasta
• ▢ Baked potatoes
• ▢ Mashed potatoes

Equipment

Large Skillet

medium saucepan

Large pot

Mixing Bowls

Sheet pan

Storage containers or freezer bags

Instructions

Prevent Sleep Mode Prevent Sleep Mode

1. Review the full 30 day dinner list and decide which meals you already have ingredients for.
2. Choose side dishes from salad, rice, refried beans, pasta, baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes to support each dinner.
3. Mark meals with planned leftovers and set aside freezer containers for those portions.
4. Shop first from your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, then buy only what you still need.
5. Prepare meals in order or swap them around based on perishability and your weekly schedule.
6. Freeze extra portions from designated meals for lunches or a later supper.
7. Use frozen single servings for the final choose-your-own-menu night.

Recipe Size Alteration

💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.

Notes

Prep time is an estimate for reviewing, organizing, and writing the plan rather than cooking all 30 dinners at once.
Servings are estimated as 30 dinners for 4 people.
Estimated cost covers the rotating side-dish basics listed with the plan, not the total cost of every entree named in the monthly menu.
Store cooked leftovers within 2 hours and use refrigerated portions within 3 to 4 days for best safety and quality.

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